Bottle-cap puller.



J. A. EKELUND.

I BOTTLE CAP FULLER. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 7. 1911.

1,40,385; Patented Sept. 25, 1917.

WKCQQ/ JOHN A. EKELUND, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

norms-car Puritan.

Specification of LettersPateiitl Patenteusept. 25; ten".

flpplica'tionfiled February 7, 1917; Serial No; 147.120.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it. known thatI, JOHN A. Ennnunma citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle-Gap Pullers; and I do hereby declare the following to'be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to bottle cap pullers, especially adapted for'use in pulling paper caps affording stoppers for milk bottles. To the above end, generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure l is a side elevation of the improved bottle cap puller;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the irregular line 00 m of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view, partly in vertical section, illustrating a milk bottle closed by a cap, and also illustrating the invention held in position by a hand to remove the cap after the same has been pierced by the barb and its shoulder moved into position to engage and lift the cap from the bottle, under an upward pull; and

Fig. 4: is a perspective view of the invention, held by a hand, with the cap supported on the barb after the same has been re moved from the bottle.

The numeral 1 indicates a milk bottle having in its neck an internal annular seat or groove 2, designed to receive and hold a paper disk-like cap 3, which affords a stopper for the bottle. It will be noted that the lower annular surface of the seat 2 is considerably wider than the upper surface thereof to afford a seat *1, on which the cap 3 rests. The above described parts are all of well known construction'and the cap 3 is applied in the neck of the bottle by a downward pressure, which turns up the edge portion of the cap 3 sufliciently to allow said cap to enter the neck of the bottle 1 and seat within the groove 2.

The improved bottle cap puller comprises a flat body member 5, stamped from a single piece of sheet metal and having on its lower ulgc an integrally formed depending barb i with a shoulder T. To strengthen the barb ii, the same transversely bent or curved, as shown in Fig. 2. The two lower edge portions of the body member 5, separated by the barb (S, are indicated by the numerals 8 and 9, and it will. be noted that the edge portion 8 is located above the'shoulder 7.

To remove the cap 3 from the bottle 1, the same is pierced by holding the body member 5, as indicated by the hand Z, and pressed downward thereon with suilicient force to pierce the cap 3 with the barb '6. The downward movement of the body member 5 is limited by the engagement of the lower edge portions 8 and 9 thereof with the top of the neck of the bottle 1 and-cap 3, respectively. These stop edges 8 and 9 are located suficiently above the shoulder 7 to permit said shoulder to go slightly below the cap 8, at the time the same is pierced by the barb 6. After the cap 3 has been pierced. by the barb 6, the body member 5 is moved slightly edgewise or given a slight twist in a horizontal plane to carry the shoulder 7 out of alinement with the opening in the cap, through which the barb 6 projects. Then by an upward pull on the body member 5, the shoulder 7 is carried into engagement with the underface of the cap 3 and said cap lifted from the seat and the neck of the bottle 1.

In one of the upper corners of the body member 5, is a hole 10 to receive a nail or other support, on which the bottle cap puller may be hung, when not in use. After the cap 3 has been removed from the bottle 1, the same remains on the barb 6, as indicated in Fig. l. In case all of the milk is not poured from the bottle 1, at the time the same is opened, the cap 3 may be replaced therein by the use of the cap puller. In replacing the cap 3, the same is forced in the seat 2 by a downward pressure on the body member 5, with its lower edge portion 9 in engagement with the cap. In pulling the cap 3 or replacing the same in the bottle 1, the same need. not be touched by the hand of the operator.

The above described invention, while extremely simple and of small cost to manufacture, has, in actual usage, proven highly efiicient for the purpose had in View. The fiat faces of the body member 5 may be used for advertising purposes.

What I claim is A bottle cap puller formed from a single piece of sheet metal and comprising a body member having on its lower edge a shouldered barb, the lower edge of the body memher on one side of the barb being located in a plane above that on the other side thereof, to permit said lower edge on one side Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of- Patents,

of the barb to engage the upper edge of the neck of a bottle and on the other side thereof to engage a cap closing the neck of the bottle.

In testimony WhBIQOfI affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses. JOHN A. EKELUN D.

-Witnesses: 7 v I i CLARA DEMAREST, HARRY D. KILeoRE.

Washington, D. Q. a V 

